Hornets Acquire Courtney Lee From Grizzlies In Three-Way Deal With Heat

Both Andersen and Roberts are in the final years of their contracts.

The two second round picks that the Charlotte Hornets are giving up aren’t too mucho give up for a player of Lee’s caliber who could slide right into the team’s starting line-up in place of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The Grizzlies got forward P.J. Hairston from Charlotte and big man Chris Andersen and two second-round draft picks from the Heat, who will get guard Brian Roberts from Charlotte. Subsequently, the Hornets have been in the market to add a wing at the 2016 NBA Trade Deadline and reportedly have done so in Courtney Lee as part of a three-team trade.

The 30-year-old is averaging 10.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 51 games for Memphis so far this season.

With Goran Dragic and Beno Udrih already cemented as the top two point guards, Roberts doesn’t figure to factor immediately into the Heat’s plans on the court. With a five-game lead over the No. 9 Rockets with 29 games to play, and no clear idea when Gasol will return, the Lee-less Grizzlies might wind up holding on for dear life.

Andersen could potentially find minutes with the Grizzlies, who recently lost center Marc Gasol for the season with a foot injury. Anderson, who is making $5 million this season, has registered just 36 minutes in seven appearances. They reassemble Wednesday for a mid-afternoon practice and play in Milwaukee Friday – the first of five consecutive road games to finish the month of February. Charlotte (27-26) has won three in a row and is 7-3 in their last 10 as they have tighten their defense, holding their opponents to under 100 in six of those games during the stretch.

Hairston and Roberts didn’t provide much for the Hornets as Roberts only appeared in 30 games this season. Otherwise, a failed effort may devalue Hairston and make him an end-of-the-bench type of guy or relegate him to the NBA’s Developmental League. Memphis was fifth in the Western Conference standings going into Tuesday’s games.

Tuesday’s tax savings would amount to roughly $6 million for the Heat when factoring in the luxury-tax multiplier.

It’s possible that Jordan will deem this move a win if the Hornets succeed in maintaining a playoff spot, but the longer-term picture is a bit more troubling.